The Ins and Outs of Life Transitions

Change: friend or foe?

Life is always changing, growing and evolving. This means everyone experiences transitions in their life. And in modern life, change and growth are happening more quickly, and are often forced upon us, so that each of us will face many transitions in the course of a lifetime.

Change is the fundamental nature of Life. If you don’t adapt to change, or if you don't instigate necessary or desired change, you may be left in a confused and unfulfilled state. Then there is a danger that you will become a person who is fearful, cynical and resigned to things as they are.

Is this something that you really want? If it this happened could you live with yourself? Permanently?

It's far better to take the initiative, to become master of the transitions in your life.

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”~ John Maxwell

What it feels like to experience a life transition

The way you are experiencing your own particular transition will, to some extent, depend on whether it has been forced on you (for example by a sudden medical emergency) or whether it is a transition you have chosen (for example giving birth to your first child). Either way, you will feel different - new thoughts, worries, emotions, hopes and fears.

Plus there's another kind of transition: one that you're not experiencing yet because it's being suppressed, neglected or put on hold. It's a change in your life that you would like or that's necessary - perhaps a new job or living in a different location - but you resist because you feel unclear how to go about it, or perhaps you feel you lack needed skills, experience or courage to go ahead. Or perhaps the transition reminds you of bad experiences in the past you don't want to repeat.

It's usually easier to deal with transitions you have chosen because you feel more in control, like the birth of a longed for baby. For example, the birth of a first child into a loving marriage will undoubtedly create strains on the parents' relationship and for a period they may feel overwhelmed, unconfident and fearful in ways that are new to them. The parents may experience exhaustion, difficulty coping, insecure, under the weight of other people's expectations, alone, unprepared. The change in routine may have an impact on friendships and family relationships. Fortunately these stresses and strains are tempered by the joy the couple experience in their shared new adventure of parenthood and in the powerful love they experience as they bond with their own child for the first time.

Whereas transitions that have been forced upon you, especially suddenly and unexpectedly - for example an unexpected heart attack - are usually much more challenging to accept into your life. The shock may provoke feelings of fear, helplessness, resentment about loss of your life plans, and other challenging emotions that arrive unexpectedly. You may feel scared, hopeless, angry, overwhelmed, violated, alone. Or if you became in debt, you may feel like you're drowning, stuck, or helpless. You may feel unprepared to deal with what you are being forced to experience.

These are all completely natural and common reactions. And there are many different kinds of life transition that can provoke these and other strong emotional responses, as the challenges of life get triggered. Transitions are at the center of human experience - but their significance is rarely understood.

Transitions give rise to life challenges

As you are faced with a transition, like getting engaged or being made redundant, this activates life challenges. This is a natural process and not to be feared or resisted. The art of living is to face up to each transition, acquire the necessary insights and skills, and move through the transition with ease.

Here are some common transitions that you are likely to experience in your journey through life... Which ones apply to you today?

Whether learning an instrument, singing, arts and crafts, DIY, professional skills... these can be life-changing and fulfilling. These life challenges typically arise: lack of confidence and self-esteem, fear and anxiety and overcoming bad habits."The more you struggle and even fail, while you're trying to master new information, the better you're likely to recall and apply that information later." ~ Manu Kapur

Getting free of a habit or addiction that is harming you is clearly a big step forward.These life challenges typically arise: frustration, lack of confidence, anxiety and
overcoming bad habits."The secret to breaking any bad habit is to love something greater than the habit." ~ Bryant McGill

We all lose loved ones at least several times in our lives, and we inevitably suffer losses in career and relationships. Fortunately there are ways to make this kind of transition easier on ourselves.These life challenges typically arise: finding your healing path, forgiveness, guilt and coping with loss.Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us everyday.

From diagnosis to illness and returning back to health can happen to all of us, and also to our child, parent or spouse. And it may be a life-changing chronic illness or even a terminal illness. And we all face death eventually. But approached the right way, each can become a transformative part of your life.These life challenges typically arise: finding your healing path, lack of confidence, fear and anxiety.Recovery is the way forward to start living your life again and to be the person you are called to be.

We can act to develop our self, to learn and practice new and more constructive ways of being.These life challenges typically arise: guilt, jealousy and lack of confidence.Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.

Fears need to be faced and accepted, not suppressed, then we can decide if it makes more sense to let them go.These life challenges typically arise: finding your healing path, lack of confidence, fear and anxiety.“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” ~ Joseph Chilton Pearce

Our spiritual path is our life, really, in which we can gradually get to know ourselves better, to be more aware of how we react, to access our inner knowing more and more.These life challenges typically arise: finding your healing path and going on to find our own answers to the big questions of life (the forthcoming Module D of Trans4mind Training)."Be transformed from the inside out by the renewal of your mind." ~ Apostle Paul

Education need not stop when we leave school; indeed, we do best to retain an open mind and learn throughout our lives, to take responsibility and self-direct this process.These life challenges typically arise: finding your healing path, overcoming bad habits, having integrity and finding life purpose.Individuals can take the initiative, with or without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, and identifying human and material resources for learning.See our resource site...

Another big transition, to adapt to a much loved family member no longer being there.These life challenges typically arise: coping with loss and fear and anxiety.We never really leave home, we carry it with us on every road and on every journey we take.

A new life in your own body - what an amazing thing and what a transition!These life challenges typically arise: fear and anxiety and having intimacy.Not every day of pregnancy is easy, but every day brings me closer to you, little one.

This could be at work or home, but it's a new adventure, requiring learning of new skills and free expression of your imagination, to unearth your unique insights and vision.These life challenges typically arise: lack of confidence and self-esteem, fear and anxiety, creativity and possibly being a leader.When you remember similarities, notice relationships, imagine possibilities and are willing to experiment - then one thing leads to another.

People die to preserve the freedom and rights of their fellows. In a way, nothing is more important than our essential freedom and human rights. To preserve our freedoms make take considerable time and effort but it will be worthwhile.These life challenges typically arise: anger and frustration, lack of confidence and self-esteem, having integrity, resolving conflict, social skills and healthy boundaries.Privacy is the foundation of all other rights. Arguing that you don't care about privacy because you have nothing to hide is like arguing that you don't care about free speech because you have nothing to say.﻿

How people treat others, the values they live by, the levels of happiness, caring, kindness that are demonstrated - these and many other factors determine whether our world is one we want to live in. To make a better world we each have to influence our immediate environment for the better, and that starts within each of us... a change of consciousness from the inside-out. These life challenges typically arise: anger and frustration, lack of confidence and self-esteem, having integrity, resolving conflict, social skills and healthy boundaries."Change begins with you... If you change how you think then you will change how you feel and what actions you take. And so the world around you will change!" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Click on underlined transitions for a brief description, including typical life challenges that facing this transition tends to activate.

To summarize:

Transition is moving from your current situation to the new situation

Challenges (stress/difficulty) are experienced as you attempt the change

Personal development insights and skills provide the solution you need.

Instead of a traumatic experience, the transition can become the vehicle for a positive and transformative experience, with the help of personal development training and coaching. Personal development empowers you to make successful transitions in your life.

We need to start by focusing on the specific life challenges that are preventing necessary or desired life transitions. For this reason, Trans4mind's comprehensive personal development training addresses each of the life challenges that you face. And you're not alone... if you wish, you can have personal support from an expert life coach!

Trans4mind Training's online video workshops and supportive coaching will assist you to overcome your life challenges, move through each transition that you face with ease, and come to a place of greater inner peace and fulfillment. Living the life you were born for, expressing your unique personality and spirit.